World Cup 2023: India vs New Zealand in semifinal at Wankhede all but confirmed | Cricket-world-cup News
With New Zealand trouncing Sri Lanka in their final League stage match on Thursday, the picture on whom India will face in the semifinal is getting a lot clearer.
Follow all the action from the Cricket World Cup 2023 on our special World Cup section. You can also find the latest stats, like the top scorer and the highest wicket-taker of the current edition, upcoming World Cup fixtures and the points table on the site.
Before the New Zealand-Sri Lanka game, there was a likelihood that India could even end up facing Pakan at the Eden Gardens but after Thursday’s result, Wankhede looks to be the likely destination for the Men in Blue with a repeat of the 2019 semifinal clash against the Kiwis in the offing.
While the first ranked team was scheduled to play the fourth ranked side in the first semifinal in Mumbai, that wouldn’t be the case if Pakan ends up occupying the bottom spot among the four semifinals.
But the task in front of the Men in Green is pretty steep after New Zealand’s big win against Sri Lanka which took their run rate from +0.398 to +0.743. Pakan, meanwhile, have a NRR of 0.036 and in order to qualify they need to beat England comprehensively in Kolkata on Saturday. Most Read
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As it stands for Babar Azam and Co to qualify for the semis, if Pakan bat first and score 300, they have to bowl England out for 13. If Pakan bowl first and dismiss England for 50, they have to chase it in around 2.3 overs.
It must be also noted that there is no official confirmation yet on when the India vs Pakan semi-final will be played should the latter qualify.
As for the second and third ranked teams in the points table, South Africa and Australia have locked in their clash in one of the two semifinals.